Intel is preparing to launch a new Core i7 Extreme Edition part based on the Ivy Bridge E core, and this is set to happen in Q3, or last days of September at the latest. The new Core i7 extreme core will replace Core i7 3970X and Core i7 3960 parts, both based on the Sandy Bridge E six core CPU.

Intel Core i7 4960X is a 3.6GHz clocked six core with twelve treads and memory support up to 1866MHz. It supports socket 2011 and a maximal turbo core clock to 4GHz. The CPU is unlocked and has four channel memory controller. The maximum TDP stops at 130W and the CPU has a whopping 15MB of cache. The runner up is the Core i7 4930K, with 12MB of cache, six cores and twelve treads, 3.4GHz base clock and 3.9GHz max turbo. The rest of the spec is the same, and it also launches in Q3 2013 and replaces the Core i7 3930K.

The last on this LGA2011 update list again based on Ivy Bridge E core is the Core i7 4820K but this one has four cores and eight treads. Two core and four threads are disabled of course and the cache size is shrunk to 10MB. The Core i7 4820K works on 3.7GHz and with the help of turbo it reaches 3.9GHz. This one replaces Core i7 3820 Sandy Bridge E processor.

We don’t know the exact launch date but in order to meet the Q3 2013 launch schedule, they should show up by late September, probably even earlier.

Ivy Bridge E, Intel’s ultra high end chip that is set to replace the Core i7 3970X, has been delayed. It doesn’t look like it was anything major. Our sources tell us that the decision was made by Intel server guys who did not want to launch this chip in Q3 as originally indented.

Since Q3 starts in July, a relatively slow month for IT, the normal time to launch products is late August or September, but at this time there is no confirmation that this will happen at this time.

Sandy Bridge E, or Core i7 3960X, was launched in Q4 2011, November 14th to be precise. This can give you a clue on when to expect the successor.

Originally Ivy Bridge E was supposed to launch in Q3, one quarter after the launch of quad-core Desktop Haswell processors. Ivy Bridge E works in X79 motherboards but we do expect that a few key motherboard vendors will have their newer versions ready for the launch of the new $999 flagship processor.

If Intel continues at this pace, it will take quite a while before we see Haswell E in action.

We have already mentioned that Ivy Bridge E is slated to appear in Q3 2013, roughly a year from now.

Ivy Bridge E is based on Intel’s latest 22nm microarchitecture, using a 3rd generation Hi K+ metal gate process. It brings improved CPU performance, Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 as well as Hyper threading support to the high end. This is of course an unlocked processor, it fits the LGA 2011 socket, and has a 130W TDP.

It is compatible with Intel X79 chipset series but gaming enthusiast will like the fact that the new processor supports 40-lane PCI Express 3.0, that will be enough for more than three graphics cards. The new processor and the rest of the Ivy Bridge E platform comes with a support for four channel DDR3 1866MHz, something that overclockers can only appreciate.

We still don’t understand why Intel decided to wait for almost a year to replace the Sandy Bridge E, but it might be due to a fact that AMD is not pushing Intel hard enough in this market segment. In other words, they don’t have to rush and existing parts will do just fine for the time being, with the possibility of boosting the clock speed of Core i7 3970X successor as soon as Q1 2013.

The successor part, based on Sandy Bridge E, if necessary can run at more than 3.5GHz basic clock and 4.0GHz Turbo.

Apple's Mac Pro, the flagship "personal computing" product designed and built for professionals, enterprises and enthusiast consumers, is close to receiving another major platform upgrade in the form of Intel's 22nm Ivy Bridge-EX processor family.

Intel's 22nm Ivy Bridge-E ("E" for desktops, "EP / EX" for servers) is the long-awaited successor to 32nm Sandy Bridge-E (launched November 2011) and is the first processor family to feature 3D-stacked transistors on socket LGA 2011. Where Intel's Westmere-EX featured 6 and 8 core processors, we can expect Ivy Bridge-EP/EX to feature 6, 8 and 10 cores, respectively. The company decided to skip Sandy Bridge-EX server chips and will jump straight to the 22nm process node, as this will allow it to cram 10 cores into a single die.

Leaked 22nm Ivy Bridge-EP/EX 10-core screenshot from Coolaler

Nevertheless, sources close to Apple have hinted that the company has already received Ivy Bridge-E engineering sample (ES) chips from Intel and has already begun product testing. By the time Q4 2012 comes around, we can expect Apple's new Mac Pro lineup to feature both 6 and 8-core Ivy Bridge-E chips with significant performance scalability (see: 30-percent faster IPG), lower power consumption and lower TDPs on socket LGA 2011.